


A Second Opinion

by Scrawlers



Series: The Space Between Our Hands [2]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Friendship, M/M, Post-Canon, Romance, a dash of hurt/comfort, wishshipping - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-24
Updated: 2016-06-24
Packaged: 2018-07-18 01:15:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7293529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scrawlers/pseuds/Scrawlers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yuugi had never really noticed Jounouchi's hair before before—or maybe he did, but only in an absent sort of way, like how one notices the blooming flowers they pass every day on their morning commute. But now that he has noticed it—and, specifically, now that he has noticed how nice it looks in the summer sun—he can't stop looking at it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Second Opinion

**Author's Note:**

> This one takes place a little before the last one, chronologically, when Jounouchi and Yuugi are 20/21 (and as such, again, after they've moved in together but before they're romantically involved).
> 
> Jounouchi's initial reaction here will make a bit more sense if you've read other fics of mine and/or are familiar with my headcanons concerning his past and his relationship with Hirutani (which at this point are mostly all on tumblr/FFN, though Whispers in the Dark is posted here and that could give you an idea despite being a canon divergence), but the basic idea is that when you only ever receive attention like this from one source previously, and that one source is negative, it tends to make your reactions to receiving similar attention from someone else quite like how Jounouchi reacts here. So if you're a bit confused why Jounouchi reacts the way he does, well, middle school experiences with Hirutani are why.

They're relaxing by the lake in the local Botanical Garden when Yuugi notices it. In lieu of picking one of the shadier spots beneath the trees, Yuugi and Jounouchi had chosen to sit on the sun-washed rocks by the shore, Yuugi seated on the bigger one while Jounouchi sat cross-legged on the smaller one right next to him, a can of juice in his hands. Due to their difference in height they're just about level with each other this way (with Yuugi seated maybe just a little bit higher), and when Yuugi turns to look down toward the other end of the lake, where some fish are flipping up out of the water to get the food flakes that children are throwing in, he finds himself distracted by Jounouchi's hair.

He had never really noticed it before—or, he supposes, maybe he did, but only in an absent sort of way, like how one notices the blooming flowers they pass every day on their morning commute. He had noticed it enough to know that it was blond, and that there was a lot of it; Jounouchi's hair has always been a bit on the longer side, has always been thick and shaggy, with a few flyaway strands here and there. But Yuugi had never given Jounouchi's hair much thought other than that—had never really paid much attention to it before. But now, as they relax by the lake in the summer sun, Yuugi keeps finding his attention drawn right back to it.

It's the sun's fault, he thinks. The sun is bright, and maybe it's due to summer-long exposure to it or maybe it's the spot they chose on that particular day, but the sunlight has brought out red highlights in Jounouchi's hair that Yuugi has never noticed before now. It makes sense, he supposes, as he looks at the way the red strands blend with the blond to give Jounouchi's hair a golden shine; with Shizuka's hair being auburn the way it is, it only makes sense that Jounouchi's hair could have some natural red highlights in it, too. But even though it makes sense, and even though it's just _hair_ (and hair he's seen a billion times before, at that) and he shouldn't be so fascinated by it, Yuugi can't help but stare. More like, he can't help but want to run his fingers through it, much in the same way Jounouchi always does himself.

Unfortunately, the consequence of prolonged attention is that the person being watched does eventually notice, and after about thirty seconds straight of Yuugi's not-subtle staring, Jounouchi looks over at Yuugi and asks, "Something up, Yuugi?"

"Ah, no, it's nothing," Yuugi says, and he tears his eyes away from Jounouchi's hair to make eye contact with him instead. Jounouchi raises his eyebrows in question, as if he can tell that there _is_ actually something up, and under his scrutiny Yuugi looks at his hair again. Before he can stop himself, Yuugi gives in to the impulse he has felt since they first sat down and reaches up to briefly thread his fingers through Jounouchi's hair, lightly fluffing a few strands up in the process. "It's just—your hair . . . "

Jounouchi grimaces and pulls away from Yuugi's touch, and Yuugi jerks his own hand back as though burned. He shouldn't have done it. He doesn't know what made him do it—why he decided to follow through when he knows it isn't exactly cool to just touch another person's hair, especially without asking—

"Yeah, yeah," Jounouchi says, and he looks back out over the lake. "My hair's really stupid looking, I know. I got it."

Yuugi frowns. He can't say that's the last reason he expected to hear for why Jounouchi is upset with him, but only because it's one that he hadn't even considered. "What are you talking about?"

"You know, obviously. It's—stupid, or gross, or whatever." Whether it's to draw attention to his point or the same subconscious habit he's always had, Jounouchi reaches up and runs his hand through his hair, mussing it further. "But it's whatever, you know, it's not like I can really change it. My hair does what it wants. It's . . . whatever." His scowl deepens as he turns his eyes to the can of juice in his hands, and in a voice so low that Yuugi almost doesn't catch it he mutters, "I didn't think you cared."

"I don't. I mean, it doesn't—your hair's not stupid or gross," Yuugi says, and when Jounouchi gives him a skeptical look out of the corner of his eye, Yuugi insists, "It's not. Can I . . . ?" He lifts his hand toward Jounouchi's hair, and after a second of consideration Jounouchi shrugs as if to say _'do whatever you want,'_ so Yuugi does.

Jounouchi's hair is soft. That's to be expected, really, because Yuugi knows Jounouchi doesn't use any kind of spray or gel to hold it in place and he showers regularly, but somehow his hair is still softer than anticipated as Yuugi runs his fingers through it. It's thick, but not coarse, and despite how wild it always looks, Yuugi's fingers hit few snags or tangles. The strands are smooth against Yuugi's skin, and all of the direct sunlight has warmed them nicely. Even though Jounouchi is still frowning, Yuugi can't help but smile.

"It's really not gross," he says, and he fluffs it a little again, lightly mussing the strands between his fingers. "It feels pretty clean to me, actually."

"Well . . . yeah," Jounouchi says. "But that's not—it doesn't really have to do with washing."

"Then what?" Yuugi asks, but instead of answering, Jounouchi just shrugs again. Yuugi pulls his hand away, his curiosity sated. "Well, I don't really know what you're talking about, but I don't think your hair is gross or stupid looking. Actually, I was going to point out that it looks a lot more red in the sun—not as red as Shizuka-chan's, of course, but still redder. It's nice looking."

Jounouchi looks over at him so quickly Yuugi is surprised he doesn't crick his neck, his eyes wide. "What?"

Slightly taken aback by Jounouchi's sudden reaction, Yuugi says, "Um, I said your hair looks redder in the sun, and . . . it's nice. That's all."

Jounouchi is still staring at him, as if waiting for Yuugi to say something else, and after a beat of silence passes between them in which Yuugi doesn't, Jounouchi says, "Really?"

"Yeah," Yuugi says, and it suddenly feels way too hot on that rock out in the sun. He laughs awkwardly and rubs at the back of his neck, half wishing that he'd had the foresight to grab a drink earlier like Jounouchi had. "Sorry, I guess it's kind of a weird thing to say—"

"No," Jounouchi says quickly, and he looks away again. He toys with the metal tab on the top of his juice can. "It's not weird. It's . . ." He clears his throat, but that doesn't really do much to make his voice any louder as he says, "Thanks."

The corners of Jounouchi's lips are tilted up in a little smile, one almost hidden by the way he's ducked his head to aim that smile at his juice can instead, but Yuugi sees it anyway and smiles in response himself. "No problem."

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: One playing with the other's hair.


End file.
